A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 48

The Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts-48

Chapter 8: Emergency Medicine (10)

“Would you like to lie down comfortably?”

Jun-hoo guided the patient, who was sitting on the bed, to lie straight, facing the ceiling.

But it was at that moment.

“Doctor.”

Suddenly, the patient called Jun-hoo in a whispering voice.

“Yes? Is there anything uncomfortable……?”

“No. There’s nothing uncomfortable, but I’m just curious.”

“Please, tell me.”

“So, are you playing the role of Kongjwi from the Kongjwi and Patjwi story [a classic Korean folktale similar to Cinderella] right now?”

The patient’s question accurately reflected Jun-hoo’s situation.

If Jun-shik was the stepmother, Seung-beom was Patjwi [the wicked stepsister].

The two were ganging up to harass Jun-hoo.

Perhaps because the patient was older, the tale of Kongjwi and Patjwi came to mind before Cinderella.

“That’s a very insightful analogy. You’ve seen it exactly right.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Of course, there is.”

Jun-hoo continued with a relaxed smile.

“Just trust me. There’s a high chance those two will try to fuel your anxiety from the side.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

The patient nodded vigorously.

“Those two doctors treated me like I was faking my illness.”

“…….”

“Do you think I would trust them? Or would I trust the handsome and kind doctor?”

The patient’s unwavering voice relieved Jun-hoo of the burden of the procedure.

In fact, the chest tube insertion itself wasn’t that daunting.

What Jun-hoo feared was Jun-shik and Seung-beom making the patient anxious, causing the patient to move during the procedure.

Even if Jun-hoo’s technique was precise.

If the patient made a slight movement at a crucial moment.

There was a chance that the scalpel and needle could enter the wrong place.

But the patient readily offered Jun-hoo his trust.

In other words, even the last variable had disappeared.

Giving help and receiving help.

Jun-hoo experienced a virtuous cycle of human relationships through the patient for the first time in a while.

How wonderful it would be if everyone in the world could form relationships in this way.

But that was close to a delusion.

The prime example was right next to him.

Jun-shik and Seung-beom.

Instead of being grateful that Jun-hoo had cleverly diagnosed the patient’s pleural effusion [fluid buildup around the lungs].

They were making him do a chest tube insertion to establish discipline?

There were too many people in the world who repaid kindness with enmity.

“Jun-hoo, you’re taking your time, unlike yourself? If you can’t do it, just say you can’t right now.”

Jun-shik, who had been silent, annoyingly urged the procedure and continued.

“Patient. This friend is about to do a difficult procedure. Don’t worry too much.”

“…….”

“I’ll be watching from the side and helping.”

It was exactly the development Jun-hoo had expected. Jun-shik subtly tried to undermine Jun-hoo.

“I’m not worried about anything. This doctor is the most trustworthy here.”

The patient clasped Jun-hoo’s hand.

The patient’s hands were emaciated, without elasticity, and full of wrinkles, but Jun-hoo thought that their warmth was as good as a stove.

“…….”

“…….”

Just before starting the procedure, Jun-hoo made eye contact with the patient.

The patient’s eyes were saying this.

Show off your skills to your heart’s content.

Of course, Jun-hoo was ready to meet those expectations.

Jun-hoo had lived as a swordsman in the Murim world [a fictional world of martial arts and chivalry] for over 20 years. He had gone through countless trials and tribulations and had even won fierce life-and-death battles.

Although his exterior was that of a rookie hospital intern.

Inside, he possessed an incredibly substantial core.

Jun-shik and Seung-beom seemed to be mistaken that Jun-hoo had fallen into a trap, but was that really the case?

Was this much really a trap?

Jun-hoo felt that the two people who thought they were trapping an adult by pushing him into a stream that barely reached his ankles were pathetic.

“I will begin the chest tube insertion.”

Jun-hoo’s clear voice spread throughout the hospital room.

* * *

Prior to the full-scale chest tube insertion.

Jun-hoo completely removed the patient’s hospital gown.

Swish.

Swish.

He put on surgical gloves and widely disinfected the patient’s right chest area.

The area where the patient had undergone a lobectomy [surgical removal of a lobe of the lung] was the right lung, and the area where the pleural effusion had occurred was also the right lung.

“Lidocaine (local anesthetic), please.”

“Here.”

Jun-shik, who was beside him, handed Jun-hoo a syringe.

“It will sting.”

Jun-hoo used the syringe he received to anesthetize the area near the patient’s right flank.

Since it would take some time for the anesthesia to spread, there was a brief moment of respite.

“Are you confident? Or are you reckless? You’re proceeding without even asking me?”

Jun-shik asked in a reproachful voice.

“I didn’t really have anything I was curious about from you, senior.”

“Why? Have you ever done a chest tube insertion in the emergency department?”

“I haven’t done it. Who would entrust a chest tube insertion to an intern on their first day of work? Unless it’s someone like you, senior.”

Jun-hoo subtly insulted Jun-shik, and Jun-shik’s face turned red.

“You have to learn it anyway. I’m just educating you in advance.”

“…….”

“If you’re really scared, you can stop here, you know?”

“No. I will take responsibility for this patient until the end. I’m afraid of what might happen if I leave it to you or Seung-beom.”

Jun-hoo criticized Jun-shik and Seung-beom together.

Since the other party’s intentions were impure, Jun-hoo didn’t need to act humble and polite.

The more kind you are, the more they climb all over you.

That was the nature of villains.

“You’ve really got guts. Coming up to someone else’s department and causing all this trouble.”

“But that trouble turned out to be a good thing in the end. How do you feel, patient?”

Jun-hoo pressed down on the area near the anesthesia site with his index finger and asked the patient.

The patient said he didn’t feel anything.

The anesthesia had worked properly, so it was time to start the full-scale procedure.

Shall I slowly show off my skills?

“Give me a number 10.”

The hand that used to wield a 1-meter-long sword in the Murim world was now holding a scalpel about the length of a finger.

The feeling the scalpel gave was, well, a cute feeling.

Swish.

Jun-hoo made an incision between the 4th and 5th ribs, where he had heard dullness with the stethoscope.

He had used a scalpel on a cadaver before, but this was the first time he had used it on a patient.

Swish.

A 2-centimeter-long vertical incision appeared, following Jun-hoo’s wrist movement.

As I’m feeling anew, the scalpel was very sharp.

The skin was cut as smoothly as paper. It was comparable to the famous swords he had used in the Murim world.

Trickle.

Jun-hoo wiped away the blood flowing down the incision with gauze.

“Did you make the incision properly? You didn’t touch any arteries, veins, or nerves, did you?”

Jun-shik, who had been watching, expressed his concern.

“Yes.”

“Don’t just answer with words, give me the exact basis.”

“Senior, you’re making it distracting, so please focus on assisting? You didn’t make me do the procedure just to nitpick, did you?”

“Ha…… What? This guy…….”

Jun-shik frowned and was about to say something but stopped.

It seemed like he was holding back because of the patient.

Ignoring Jun-shik’s interference, Jun-hoo proceeded with the next procedure.

He inserted a Kelly [a type of surgical clamp] through the incision and expanded the left and right width of the incision.

It was a preliminary step to secure space for the chest tube to enter.

‘Now, next is…….’

Jun-hoo then shoved his index finger into the incision that had been expanded with the Kelly.

It was to measure the distance while palpating the location of the pleural cavity, where the effusion was pooling.

The pleural cavity could be felt at a location approximately 3 centimeters forward from the incision.

Was it because he had various experiences in the Murim world.

And had studied anatomy under an anatomy professor during medical school?

Even though he was doing a chest tube insertion for the first time, Jun-hoo didn’t hesitate.

He wasn’t afraid either.

Rather, he felt a sense of challenge and joy.

This was a different sense of accomplishment and satisfaction than when he had cut down villains in the Murim world.

Shall I slowly put an end to the insertion?

“Guide wire (trocar).”

Jun-hoo pushed the trocar he received from Jun-shik into the incision.

If the trocar was inserted too deeply, lung damage could occur, but such an unfortunate event would not happen.

Because Jun-hoo, who used to be a swordsman, was excellent at distance control.

Thump!

As the trocar penetrated the pleural cavity, a sensation was transmitted to his fingertips.

It was like the feeling of tearing plastic.

The insertion was a great success.

He would have to take an X-ray for accurate confirmation, but Jun-hoo intuitively knew that he had not failed.

The forward distance of the trocar was exactly 3 centimeters.

If it could be measured with a ruler, there wouldn’t be even a 0.1-millimeter error.

Trickle.

The effusion pooled at the end of the trocar.

“Are you sure about the insertion? If it’s too shallow, stab it again. If you think you’ve stabbed it too deeply, pull it out quickly.”

“Make a good judgment. You might end up killing the patient with your own hands.”

Jun-shik and Seung-beom took turns shaking Jun-hoo up, but Jun-hoo didn’t even listen with half an ear.

What would you guys standing there blankly know?

Swish.

Jun-hoo pushed the catheter attached to the trocar into the pleural cavity.

In that state, he removed the trocar and began to sew up the incision.

As expected, it was his first time doing sutures, but his hands flew.

As if a magician was performing magic, the incision was quickly sutured.

The time it took to finish the chest tube insertion was only 2 minutes.

Even a resident who was skilled in chest tube insertion took 5 minutes, but he had shortened it by more than half.

‘Did I just see a crazy bastard?’

Jun-shik clicked his tongue after watching Jun-hoo’s procedure.

Jun-shik had done chest tube insertions himself.

And had watched other senior residents’ chest tube insertions for a long time.

But Jun-hoo, despite doing a chest tube insertion for the first time today, showed off much more outstanding skills than himself.

How could a person be like this?

“……You’re not giving me the tube, what are you doing?”

At Jun-hoo’s urging, Jun-shik belatedly handed over the tube.

Thump.

When the tube was connected to the catheter, yellowish effusion fell into the drainage container.

This meant that the catheter had accurately penetrated the pleural cavity.

‘Still, you never know. Even if he penetrated the pleural cavity, there might be lung damage.’

Jun-shik hoped that Jun-hoo’s chest tube insertion would fail and gave the next order.

It was a second chest X-ray.

Only if there were no abnormal findings on the chest X-ray could the chest tube insertion be considered normally completed.

“You seem confident?”

Jun-shik, who had sent Seung-beom and the patient down to the radiology room, asked Jun-hoo.

Jun-hoo’s expression was as calm as a monk.

There wasn’t even a trace of nervousness or worry.

“I felt it the moment I inserted it. That it couldn’t fail.”

“You know you’re showing off in front of an expert, right?”

Jun-shik gnashed his teeth at Jun-hoo’s arrogance.

He had diagnosed the patient’s pleural effusion by chance, but would that luck really extend to the chest tube insertion?

Jun-shik thought not.

Luck was fickle and didn’t visit the same place twice.

After a while, the patient returned to the hospital room, and Jun-hoo, Jun-shik, and Seung-beom moved to the on-call room together.

They checked the chest X-ray results on the monitor.

“…….”

“…….”

The moment the chest image appeared, a silent stillness enveloped the on-call room.

Jun-shik looked at the chest image again and again.

But there was nothing to criticize.

The catheter had accurately pierced only the pleural cavity. There were no signs of lung damage.

After making Jun-hoo do the chest tube insertion.

He had planned to establish discipline if he didn’t do it properly.

That ambitious plan had gone up in smoke.

Jun-shik suddenly felt a burning sensation in his stomach.

He suddenly looked at Seung-beom, and Seung-beom also had a constipated expression.

Neither of them had expected or hoped for this result.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong in my eyes.”

Jun-hoo made the first move.

“It…… it seems so.”

Jun-shik, who was shocked, stammered.

He had been completely defeated, so there was nothing more to say.

“It would be better for you to invest the time you spend harassing your juniors in patients, senior.”

Jun-hoo provoked Jun-shik and looked at Seung-beom.

“The same goes for you. Instead of relying on your father, who is the vice president of the hospital, start improving your skills.”

“…….”

“You can’t call your father every time you can’t do your job, can you?”

“You, you little punk, where did you learn to say such presumptuous things…….”

Seung-beom flared up, but Jun-hoo’s expression was just as fierce.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Is it presumptuous to diagnose the pleural effusion of a patient that you pretended not to know about and do a chest tube insertion?”

“…….”

“Isn’t it more like a doctor?”

“…….”

“I’ve seen enough of your level.”

Jun-hoo fiercely criticized Jun-shik and Seung-beom and left the thoracic surgery on-call room.

Only then did he feel a little relieved.